SANTA ANA - A former dance instructor for the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana was arrested Wednesday on a warrant for misdemeanor child annoyance for allegedly sending sexually suggestive text messages to a 15-year-old student, police said.

John Juul Nielson, 53, of Cerritos, was arrested at his home and was booked at the Santa Ana city jail, with bail set at $15,000 bail, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

Nielson started working at the high school part-time in September 2010 and was fired Jan. 13, according to a school spokeswoman.

"Be assured that the Orange County High School of the Arts takes all student safety issues very seriously and is fully cooperating with law enforcement," a school statement says.

Nielson sent numerous text messages to the girl between Oct. 15 and Jan. 11, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. The texts contained "revealing information about his personal life, including details about his current and past relationships," prosecutors allege.

Nielson is also accused of having "sexually inappropriate conversations" with the girl, according to the District Attorney's Office and police.

"He stated that he fell in love with this 15-year-old, and he was coming on to her" in the text messages, Bertagna said. "So she went to him and said, `Stop it.' He continued, so she confided in a friend, who went to a counselor, who investigated and notified school officials."

The married father of three could face up to a year in jail and be forced to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life if convicted.